Though the Stars Walk Backward
by GGirl1423
Summary: Teddy Grey is all grown up and running his own company... and dealing with his fair share of drama along the way. Rated T for some language and sexual themes. No BDSM. We will run into some original Fifty Shades characters several chapters in.
1. Chapter 1

_**I already started a Fifty Shades fic about Phoebe, but I wanted Teddy to have his own story. So, here it is.**_

**~*~*~*~ Trust your heart if the seas catch fire, live by love though the stars walk backward. **

**-EE Cummings ~*~*~*~**

Ted

"This is so unfair," I proclaimed as I threw popcorn at the television screen. Katherine was cleaning my clock at _Jeopardy!_, and there weren't enough questions for me to make up the difference. It had been a rough day, and I hated to end it like that.

"Kellie Pickler," she said in answer to the next question on the screen, and of course it was the right answer and she gained two thousand dollars.

I threw more popcorn at the screen.

"Oh, stop," she said, and threw popcorn at _me_. "You're just jealous because you're getting your ass kicked. And you don't want to have to admit that I'm smarter than you."

"You're not smarter than me," I argued, even though I didn't believe it. Katherine Taylor was from _the_ Taylor family, the family that every business circle whispered about. Her family came from a long line of math geniuses, and Katherine was no different. In fact, she'd been the only thing to get me through Calculus in college. In addition to what I had dubbed her "mad math skills", she also had a mind for memorization, which made her a killer lawyer. I was lucky to have her as my company's personal lawyer.

"Sure I'm not," she replied and patted my arm sympathetically, the way that you would placate a small child. When I pouted, she laughed and answered the next question. "Mandrill."

"You know what? I'm done." I stood and headed for the kitchen area, hoping to nurture my wounded pride. I hadn't even come close to her that evening, and it was killing me.

"Great. You can get started reading over those reports that I emailed you," she called, laughing because she knew that she was victorious. "You still have an hour or so left in the workday, anyway."

"I'm the _boss_," I reminded her, dumping out my popcorn kernels. "I don't have to work regular hours. _You_, however, are supposed to be. And yet, here you are in my office, watching TV."

"I'm playing a trivia game." Katherine sat up straight and put on her best lawyer voice, which had wooed many a jury into buying her side of the story. "It keeps my mind sharp, which enables me to do the best possible job for your company."

"That's why I hate lawyers," I grumbled, only half teasing. Aside from Katherine, I'd only met one other lawyer that I could stand for more than two minutes. "Never a straight answer; there always has to be some kind of explanation."

Katherine didn't dignify that with a response. Instead, she answered the final question, got it right, and grinned widely at the television. There on the couch in my office, legs curled up to her chest, holding a bowl of popcorn and grinning, she looked so much like a child.

That's what I adored so much about her. She'd certainly faced her struggles in life, but she always faced the world with a smile on her face. She had an incredible sense of humor that could lighten even my mood when I was feeling down, and she noticed the beauty in the world that others always seemed to pass by. That's why she had become – and remained, still – one of my very best friends.

We'd met at Harvard, in Calculus class. For reasons that I still didn't understand, she'd sat beside me in the back row, even though her brilliant mind belonged right in the front. Maybe even behind the podium. I'd been struggling with limits, so she had leaned over and explained in a one minute whispered conversation what had taken the professor a whole class period to explain. And I actually _got it_ that time. So, she'd become my tutor and then my friend, and when I had started my own investment banking company, I'd wanted her to come on as my CFO. Unfortunately, by that time, she'd already made plans to become a lawyer, not wanting to be limited to a career in math by her family name. So, once she'd passed the BAR, I employed her as my company's lawyer, which everyone had said was crazy. But she'd done a spectacular job, and I had never regretted it.

"By the way," I called as I moved to my desk and logged into my computer. "We're going to Seattle in a week."

Her head shot up and she looked at me, surprised. "Seattle? Your home city? Why are we going to Seattle?"

I waved her over so that I could show her the email that I had pulled up on my screen. "Investment business. I need you to go with me in case he wants to sign a contract immediately. And, yes, my home. I may even introduce you to my family, Kat."

She read over the email with assessing eyes and then nodded. "All right; I'll be ready to go. I assume we'll be taking the jet?"

"Indeed." I grinned up at her. "Flying commercial is so… dull."

"All flying is dull," she said and though she put on a brave face, I knew that she was trembling inside. Katherine was terrified of flying. Always had been, as far as I knew. And giving statistics about how much safer it actually was than driving did no good whatsoever. It was one of those irrational fears with no cure.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure Arthur knows to keep it as smooth as possible." I moved on to my other emails as Katherine began to clean up her little snack center. We worked in companionable silence, another thing that I adored about Katherine Taylor. She didn't see the need to fill any silence with worthless prattle.

As I was about to ask her about her plans for the evening, there was a knock on the door. When I called for the person to enter, Donna, my PA came in. "Miss Jones is here to see you."

"Kaylie's here?" I asked, surprised. Normally, my girlfriend called before she just showed up at my office. "Is everything all right?"

"She appears fine," Donna said and frowned. "Would you like me to ask her to wait?"

"No, no," I said and glanced over at Katherine, shrugging at her questioning look. "It'll be fine. Let her in, Donna. Thank you."

Donna smiled and then disappeared from the room, reappearing a few moments later with Kaylie in tow. My girlfriend was dressed to the nines in a pale pink dress that cut off mid-thigh and high heels that should have gotten her a charge for reckless endangerment. Her blond hair was perfectly curled, a halo around her oval face. Makeup done, she appeared ready for a night out on the town.

"Hi," she gushed when she saw me and rushed over.

"Hi, Kaylie." I stood and kissed her cheek, though I knew that she wanted me to kiss her lips. She didn't _quite_ grasp the concept of discretion. I did, however, so I waved for Donna to leave. "Is everything okay?"

"Of course." She pulled away, pouting slightly. "I just wanted to come and-" But she broke off abruptly, eyes on something over my shoulder.

I turned and found Katherine washing her hands at the sink. Turning back to Kaylie, I frowned, confused. "Come and _what_?"

But Kaylie was looking at Katherine, a strange smile on her face. "Hello, Katherine. Good to see you again."

Kat tossed a nod over her shoulder, shut the water off, and reached for a towel. "Kaylie. Long time, no see."

"Yes," Kaylie murmured and then turned back to me, speaking softly so that Katherine wouldn't hear. "Could you dismiss her, Ted? I'd like to talk to you… alone."

My brow furrowed. "I thought you said that everything was fine?"

"It is," she hissed at me, her green eyes on fire. "I'd just like to speak with you alone, please."

But she needn't have worried, for Kat was already heading for the door. "I have a little bit more work to do before I go home for the weekend. Need anything specific, boss?"

I shook my head and shot her a smile. "Nothing I can think of. Have a good weekend."

She nodded and then walked out the door, shutting it soundly behind her. I looked at Kaylie and raised my brows, waiting. "Well? She's gone. What did you need me alone for?"

Kaylie's smile was suddenly amorous as she ran her hands along my chest, slipping one inside my suit jacket. She pressed her body against mine and I inhaled the scent of her Chanel perfume. "For this." She pressed her lips to mine and pushed me back slightly, forcing me to put my arms around her.

I pulled away, startled and disapproving. "Kaylie, I've told you before that the office isn't for public displays of affection."

She pouted and stepped closer once more. "This isn't public. It's your private office. No one enters without permission, right?"

"That's not the point." _Besides, Katherine enters without permission all of the time._ She was one of only five people that were allowed to enter my office without having to wait for my permission, the other four being my parents, my sister Phoebe, and my driver and security man, Marcus. "The point is that this is where I _work_, Kaylie. When I'm here, in this office or anywhere else in the building, I need to be focusing on work."

Her pouting increased, but she stepped back, so I considered it a victory. "Fine. I just thought I'd give you a little stress relief at work."

"_Jeopardy!_ is my stress relief at work, Kaylie." I stepped away from her and sat down behind my desk, turning my attention to my computer. "Did you still want to have dinner tonight? I have reservations at Eleven Madison Park for seven."

She still wanted to pout, but I knew that she couldn't resist her favorite restaurant. "All right. Pick me up at six."

That would barely get us there on time, but I knew that's what she wanted. She liked to be fashionably late and draw all of the attention. "Six it is. Do I need to have Marcus drive you home?"

"No," she said. "I'll get a cab."

I knew that she wanted me to argue and insist that Marcus drive her home, but I was tired of trying to read her mind and give her everything that she wanted. "All right, then. I'll see you at six." I pressed a button on my phone. "Donna? Miss Jones is leaving now."

Kaylie frowned, but headed for the door anyway. Donna met her there with a smile that only looked to be half genuine. A few moments later, they had both disappeared and I was left alone in the office once more. As I looked around, I felt this desire for… more.

More of what, I didn't know, but it had been a repetitive desire over the last year or so. I worked harder, gained more clients, and got more money, but it never seemed to be enough. I was in a relationship with one of the hottest women in the United States, but even that wasn't enough. I didn't know what I needed; all I knew was that the desire wouldn't go away.

"Sir?" Marcus' voice came over the line of my phone. "What time would you like the car?"

I glanced at the clock, measured the amount of work that I would like to get done, and then answered him. "Let's say five-thirty. We'll need to go and pick up Miss Jones. I have a dinner reservation at Eleven Madison Park for seven."

"Very good, sir," he responded and then hung up.

_More… I need more._


	2. Chapter 2

**~*~*~*~ Couldn't we sit in the twilight, **

**Couldn't we walk on the shore**

**With only a pleasant friendship**

**To bind us, and nothing more? **

**-Ella Wheeler Wilcox~*~*~*~**

Katherine

"Hello?" I answered the phone as I moved around the kitchen, preparing picadillo.

"So…" my twin brother said in a cheery voice. "Feel free to gush about how much you adore me."

"I'm a little busy fixing picadillo, Kol," I said with a roll of my eyes. Concentrating, I began to chop the bell pepper. "Speaking of Latin dishes, how is Madrid?"

"Not as exciting as New York," he said in perfect Spanish and then switched back to English. "How's everything in the world of investment banking?"

"Like you haven't been keeping up with the stock market." Kol worked as the CFO for a tech company based in Madrid, but I knew that he kept up with American stocks. As kids, our father had quizzed us about the stock market every morning over breakfast. It was a habit now.

"Okay, fine, you caught me. I've been keeping up with the stock market. You know… you have a degree in economics and finance. You could change your career in an instant."

Ah, of course. I added the pepper to the meat mixture and began to stir. "I assume that Alec put you up to that." Our older brother had never been too happy about my career choice. He believed that all Taylors should have math careers.

"Yes," Kol admitted with a sigh. "But I don't know, Kat… I kind of agree. We're Taylors. Taylors are math people. It's… weird that you became a lawyer."

"I understand that my decision was kind of sudden and shocking," I allowed. "But come on, Kol. I'm happy."

There was a pause and when he spoke again, I knew that he was smiling. "Then I'm happy for you, twin. And I admire you for blazing your own path in life. But if you ever change your mind…"

"Yeah, yeah." I checked on the rice. "You'll be the first to know. Hey, are you planning a New York visit anytime soon?"

"Nothing for sure," he said. "I know I'll be back for Christmas. Father wants everyone back for the holidays, you know."

"Yeah, I know." Our mother had died two years earlier and since then, our father had been all about the family time. He had dinner with me at least once a week and called several times a week. Holidays had become as important for him as they had used to be for our mother. "You can come before then, you know. You're welcome to my spare bedroom anytime."

"Speaking of your spare bedroom," he said, and I already knew what he was going to say. "Why don't you upgrade on your apartment? You can afford a lot more than that little two bedroom that you have now. You should be in a penthouse somewhere."

Again, I rolled my eyes. I seemed to do a lot of that whenever I was on the phone with Kol. "I like my apartment, okay? It's not far from work and it has all of the modern appliances. My neighbors are nice, and I've never had any problem with it."

He muttered something under his breath about my stubbornness. "Fine. Fine. You said you were making picadillo. Is Father coming over for dinner?"

"No. I've just been trying to cut back on the fast food." I was approaching my thirties, and I had decided that I needed to cut back on the fat intake. I was naturally skinny and had a high metabolism, but I knew that could change at any moment. I wanted to be ready.

"Send that mentality my way. I've eaten out every single night this week."

"Tacos and enchiladas," I teased him. "Yum."

"You know I have issues with enchiladas," he said sternly. "Ever since that time in Mexico…." I could practically feel him shudder. "Gross. Never again."

"What are the odds of that happening again?" I asked him.

"Factoring in location and specific-"

"Not really, Kol," I said, though I was also beginning to calculate in my head. We were Taylors; it's just how we operated.

"You can't say stuff like that and expect me not to answer." He said something to someone in the background and then said, "So, no plans for the night?"

"Not really," I answered. "Sounds like you do, though."

"A few of the guys from work and I are going to a club tonight." I could hear the grin in his voice.

I could only imagine what my twin brother would get up to at the club. He was a good guy, but he also liked to have a good time and could get a little crazy. "Be careful, Kol."

He chuckled. "Yes, ma'am. Try to have more fun, sis."

"Whatever. You know that I-" But I cut off abruptly because the door to my apartment opened and Ted strolled in, still in his suit from work, copper hair disheveled. Frowning at him, I continued to stir the picadillo and speak to Ted. "I'm not that kind of person."

Ted raised his eyebrows at me and I pointed to the Bluetooth headpiece in my ear to explain that I was on the phone. He nodded and strolled towards my wine rack, checking out the bottles.

"You should work on it. Try not to be so boring all the time. There's more to life than books and contracts. Remember that."

"The words of wisdom of Kol Taylor," I said. "Have a safe night."

He laughed. "Have a _fun_ night."

"I'll think about it. Bye, Kol."

"Night, Kat." He hung up.

I stirred the picadillo one last time, turned off the burner, and moved the pan over. Checking the rice, I turned off that burner, too, and then faced Ted, who had chosen a bottle of white wine and was pouring himself a glass.

When he saw me watching him, he asked, "Chablis?"

"No, thanks." I headed for the fridge and pulled out a root beer. "Picadillo?"

"Sure." Ted got himself a plate and piled some rice on it before spreading the meat mixture over the top. I did the same and then we retreated to the small table in the dining area.

We sat and began to eat in silence, but I could tell that something was wrong. He wasn't smiling, for one, and he seemed to be a bit tense. But I assumed that he would tell me about whatever it was when he was good and ready, so I just ate my food.

When I was halfway done with my plate, he said, "It's Kaylie."

_Of course_. "Usually is." Kaylie Jones, model extraordinaire, had been his girlfriend for about a year now. She was extremely pretty, but she caused him all kinds of stress with her temper tantrums and her pettiness.

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Seems that way."

I waited, but he said nothing else about it. "Are you going to tell me what happened?"

"She…" He groaned and put his fork down on his empty plate, reaching for his wine. "She's pregnant."

My own fork clattered onto the table and then the floor. I just stared at him in shock, not caring that I probably looked like an idiot with my mouth hanging open. "_What_ did you say?"

His smile was humorless. "Pregnant. Kaylie is pregnant."

My stomach was one big knot. With a heavy heart, I pushed my plate away, catching Ted's frown as I did. "So, what happens now?" Ted was an honorable man, and if he behaved the way that I thought he would…

"I have to marry her, Kat." He raked his hands through his hair. "I have to take care of her and my child."

Of course he would think that. "Are you ready for marriage, Ted?" I asked him, trying to be gentle. I knew that it had been a shock for him, but it was also a shock for me. My thought process was all jumbled and I felt a bit like I was going to throw up. "I thought you said two weeks ago that you weren't sure if Kaylie was marriage material."

"Well, she's carrying my child now," he said and downed the rest of his wine. "I think that kind of makes her marriage material. I can't… I don't…"

I stood and walked around the table to sit beside him. "Ted, don't do this, okay? Don't marry her just because you feel like you need to in order to be honorable." As his friend, I had to make sure that he'd thought everything through.

"She's having my baby!" he roared and stood up from the table, his chair shooting out from beneath him. In his frustration, he began to pace, gripping at his hair. "Jesus, Kat, she's having my baby! I'm not prepared for this at all! We've been so careful and I don't know how…"

Something clicked in my head and I frowned, wheels turning. "How did she tell you that she was pregnant, Ted?"

He stopped pacing and looked at me as if I had lost my mind. "She just told me over dinner. She went to her personal doctor last week in Paris when she was there for a shoot. Why?"

I put my suspicions on the backburner and asked him, "How did you react?"

"I was _freaked out_!" He gripped his hair again and resumed pacing. "I told her that I needed a little time to think and I sent her home with Marcus. Then I caught a cab and came here. I needed… I needed someone to talk to. Somewhere to get away for a while."

"You know you're always welcome here, Ted." I knew that he would have done the same thing for me if I had needed it. That's what best friends did for each other. "If you need to crash here, that's fine."

He stopped pacing again and looked at me closely. As my friend, he could see things that others wouldn't. "You have something running through your head. What is it?"

I stood and gathered up our dinner plates. "Nothing, Ted. It's nothing. This is all just… a big surprise."

"No kidding," he grumbled and continued to pace. Ted was a pacer when he was frustrated whereas I was more inclined to just sit in silence and think it through.

I went into the kitchen and focused on cleaning up the dinner dishes, trying to calm my mind. I needed some time to myself to think, but I knew that I just needed to be there for Ted for right now. I would have time later to just sit and think things through. Until then, I came in second to him.

When I was through cleaning up, I went into the living room and found Ted sitting on the couch, his head in his hands, elbows resting on his knees. He had discarded his suit jacket and removed his tie, and his hair was sticking up in the oddest places. He looked so forlorn, so distraught, that I felt my heart breaking for him.

"Hey," I said gently and sat beside him, placing my arm around his shoulders. "Ted, everything's going to be okay, all right? I'm right here; anything you need, anytime, okay?"

He nodded and then leaned over to put his head on my shoulder, putting his arms around my waist. I hugged him to me, reminded of a night similar to this one, after my mother had died and I'd gone over to Ted's. He'd held me just like I was holding him then, and he had made a similar promise to me. _I'm right here, Kat. I'll always be right here. It's going to be okay_.

Instinctively, I began to sing to him, just like my mother had always done for me when I was upset.

And Ted only snuggled further into my side.


End file.
